Worst Case Scenarios
by FUlyric
Summary: SPOILERS for episode 2.4 "Medusa" What was going through Hank's mind on his way to see Evan at the beach? It's so easy to imagine the worst possible outcome. Currently a one-shot but may be continued with next week's episode...
1. Terrors of the Deep

**Author's note: **Yep, I did a tag for the "Medusa" episode too (how could you not, really? Canon EvanWhumpage AND Big Brother to the Rescue - good stuff, my friends, good stuff)! Sort of a character study, mainly Hank's POV prior to his arrival at the beach. just stuff I personally noticed in that scene - I should mention I'm not totally sure how Evan got in touch with him since their cell phones didn't work in Cuba and I don't think they really went into it, did they? I assume he had to sign a release form of some sort before the dive began, and that might have included an emergency contact. _Anyhoo_... This might become a two-shot depending on how next week's episode resolves. :/

* * *

As the car speeds past the lush tropical scenery, Hank Lawson barely notices any of it. All he can think about are possibilities of what awaits him at his destination. The message that had been delivered to him at Boris's hacienda had been concise enough: His brother Evan Lawson had been injured while scuba diving. That is all he knows, that and the location of the beach where the divers had set out. But the lack of details maddens him. _What sort of accident was this? How serious is it? Is it something as benign as a bruise or cut? Something a little more severe, like a broken bone? Or is it something far, far worse?_ Hank is not nearly as vocal as his brother when panicking, but just because he isn't incessantly babbling doesn't mean his imagination isn't running rampant. His medical stoicism allows him to present a clear-headed and professional façade to the outside world, but where his brother's health is concerned, he is currently an internal wreck.

_Was Evan attacked by some form of aquatic wildlife?_ 'Shark' is the first thing his mind turns to, but then he starts going down the list of things he figures might also be living in the warm tropical waters. _Man-o-wars and box jellyfish, barracudas, stingrays, those evil-looking eel things with the lamps on their heads_… Marine biology is admittedly not his specialty, so he abandons that train of thought after freaking himself out into a corner, so to speak. Besides, those sorts of animals would be used to seeing divers in these waters and probably wouldn't attack unless provoked, and there was no way Evan would ever provoke a shark. Wet himself at the sight of one, sure, but not provoke it. He forces himself to believe that Evan will have all his limbs intact when he arrives and moves on.

_Was there a problem with the scuba gear?_ _Evan is a capable enough swimmer – he won't win any Olympic medals anytime soon, but he's at ease in the water. Surely he wouldn't have been diving alone; someone would have seen if he was in physical distress and would have helped him surface and gotten him back to the boat. But if it was an equipment issue…sometimes those tanks malfunction. If it hadn't been inspected recently, Evan might have been breathing in carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. He wouldn't realize what he was inhaling right away, and by the time he thought anything was wrong, the CO would be affecting his brain. Or perhaps the air stopped flowing completely and he was too deep to get to the surface in time… Or perhaps he got stuck somewhere and couldn't free himself and there __**wasn't **__anyone around to help and he ran out of air… What if Evan drowned?_ Hank shakes his head to bring himself back to reality. Now he knows he is panicking. The message had said "injured," not "killed." There is no reason to jump directly to the worst possible scenario. Perhaps there is the _potential _for loss of life, but right now there is no evidence to believe that has already happened. That's what Hank is there for, right? To keep it from happening. They would not have called him to the beach if Evan was beyond saving. If that was true, he would be heading to the... the morgue. But he isn't, so clearly his brother is alive. Right? He can't allow himself to believe that he will be too late to do anything for his little brother. He can't become irrational, not yet, not until he sees what he is dealing with.

As the car finally screeches to a stop (for all the speeding that Boris's driver is doing, it is the longest car ride of his life), Hank jumps from the vehicle with his HankMed-ified duffel bag and takes off running toward the crowd of gawkers congregating on the shoreline. He feels a surge of adrenaline as he hits the sand, and his thoughts are still spinning. _A crowd is bad, it means there's something to see… like my brother's mangled body….I don't hear any screaming or crying… not that I want Evan to be screaming in pain or anything, but it would be better than… than being… quiet._

The people part and he glimpses his brother sprawled on the sand, very much alive. As soon as he sees Evan's face, relief floods him, not eliminating his worry but mixing in with it. Evan is pale and obviously a bit shaken up, and the compress he holds to his head is soaked with dark blood, which is enough to freak any big brother out, whether they have a medical degree or not. But Evan is awake and alert, talking, and sitting up under his own power. That is already far better than some of the scenarios he had contemplated in the car. It is all Hank can do to keep his cool when Evan looks at him clearly, with full awareness in his blue eyes, and smiles faintly at him. It is a smile of both apology (_Sorry to drag you out here for this and make you worry, bro_) and gratitude (_Thank you for coming to the rescue… like you always do_).

Immediately, Hank attempts to put aside his position of 'brother' and go fully into 'doctor' mode. That is what is required at this point, though it's always a bit harder to squelch his fraternal feelings when Evan's health is on the table. It is as though Evan can read his brother's inward turmoil, and he shifts his own psyche accordingly. From seeing his brother in action on house calls, he knows what information Hank will need. He immediately introduces the blonde girl who stands close by as his dive buddy and guilty agent of injury, knowing that Hank will ask her for details of the accident. He submits himself to Hank's exam and the barrage of questions fired at him to judge his mental clarity and concussion level, but admits only to pain as his dominant symptom, and makes light jokes to ease the tension and not-so-carefully-hidden fear he sees in his brother's face.

Hank is amazed to see how composed Evan is with a gaping head wound. It is no secret that Evan is the squeamish type when it comes to blood and scary medical stuff, and as Hank works to close the nasty gash as best he can without stitches, Evan reacts with pained squirming which no one would have been able to avoid doing. But he handles himself with a calmness not usually seen in the younger Lawson. Now, his aesthetically-appealing dive buddy, who stands watching and wincing at what her tank has wrought, might be a small factor in this unusual level of stoicism. But it is primarily for Hank, to curb his big brother's worry, that Evan appears so unruffled. And Hank knows it is for him and he is grateful.

As he helps his brother to his feet, Hank is deeply aware that this situation could have been much worse. _Evan attracts trouble like a moth to a flame, yet he is still so damn lucky, _he thinks with a smile. _He manages to crack his head open merely hours upon arriving in a foreign country and still is able to flirt with the girl who did the cracking. _He feels bad that he has to prevent Evan from accepting Mindy's offer of drinks, but it is a necessary prohibition. The brothers head to the car, Hank allowing Evan to walk on his own, but remaining right at his elbow, watching carefully for any sign of faltering and ready to catch him should it occur. But Evan seems to have possession of all his faculties, and a pain reliever should have him back to relative normalcy fairly soon. As they speed back to Boris's grand estate, Hank lets out the breath he has been holding for the better part of an hour. _Well, we've gotten the Evan Disaster out of the way early this time. Should be smooth sailing from here on out. It's not like anything else can happen to him in the next 48 hours…_


	2. Paradise Lost

**Author's Note: **I am dying to see the conclusion of the Cuba arc this week (I gave up my cable so I will have to watch it online on Friday, but my breath is baited). Because I can't wait, I worked on this as a sort of a second part, but since I have no idea how this puppy will play out on screen, I am using it as sort of a post-Medusa 'prequel' to Mano-a-Mano. Does that make sense? :p So it's a possible look at Hank's POV after he gets wind of what has happened to Evan (superario, I hope that difference in timing will make it different enough from your story 'MIA' - which everyone should read btw - I didn't want to seem like I was copying you! o_O ). Obviously, he is thinking the worst in spite of himself.

* * *

Previously on this Royal Pains fanfic: _Well, we've gotten the Evan Disaster out of the way early this time. Should be smooth sailing from here on out. It's not like anything else can happen to him in the next 48 hours…_

_I am such an idiot. To think, I actually believed nothing else could possibly happen to Evan on this trip. _Hank's palms are sweating. Hadn't he specifically told Evan 'no international incidents?' He never listens! The crinkled note in his hand from the Cuban dissidents who have snatched his brother off the streets is proof of Evan's complete disregard for Hank's good advice. Now he has to wait for further contact and the kidnappers' demands. Meaning he has to sit on his hands and once again attempt to rein in his mind as he quietly drives himself to madness with irrational worry. But how can he _not_ be irrational? This sort of thing doesn't just happen to _anybody_! Who has this sort of luck anyway? He vacillates between utter fury at Evan for getting himself in this situation in the first place and outrage at these, these _people_, who just run up out of the blue and grab hapless tourists for whatever reason. For that matter he's also a bit pissed off at Boris – they would never have been in this situation if he hadn't just whisked them to Cuba without any warning. If he had just been given a little notice, he could have left Evan safely at home, away from the head injuries and the kidnappers. Of course, there is also his own crippling self-loathing for allowing this to happen to his little brother… the one whom he always swore to protect… the one who, for all his worldly tendencies and talking a big game, is more naïve than anyone could guess… the one who must be terrified out of his mind right now…

_I'm sure he's fine – he has to be. He's more valuable alive than… than… and anyway, if I do what they want they have to give him back. But what if they've hurt him? He's already got a head injury that's nowhere near healed yet. His scalp is being held together by his own hair and a frakkin' tote bag. If they were to hit him on the head or something to subdue him, the wound could reopen and he could bleed all over the place. It wouldn't take much to do that and it would aggravate his concussion. Not to mention the fact that I don't know how many more blows that hard head of his can stand before his brain gives up and turns into tapioca. If they hurt him, I swear to God…_

This is bad and he knows it. It's as if he's in some awful low-budget horror movie, and he is instantly grateful that he did not go see _Turistas _with Evan that one time, as he is certain it would do nothing to help his anxiety. Evan's probably ruing his choice right now. A trickle of perspiration dribbles down his back and perches annoyingly just above his tailbone.

It's not like he can go to authorities. Not only might 'they' be watching him, but the hard truth is he and Evan are technically in Cuba illegally. They thought they were flying to New York, so of course neither brought their passports along. For all intents and purposes, Hank has no proof that Evan even exists here in Cuba, and he can't ask police to search for a man who doesn't exist. He's not sure that they will appreciate helping an illegal American visitor. _Or maybe they would, but it would take a bribe to convince them to do so. Bribe the police AND pay Evan's ransom? God, I don't have that kind of cash on me, and I can't ask Boris to provide it, even though I'm sure he would. At least I think he would. Evan did kind of crash the trip. But he likes Evan. He… he doesn't mind Evan... Damn, I'm screwed._

He stops in his mental breakdown to take a drink of water from his HankMed water bottle. The humidity is stifling out here, and he has the distant niggling thought that his deodorant is not up to the task of working through both the temperature AND his stress. Between that and the briefest flash that this HankMed brand stuff might be all he has left of his brother to take home kickstarts a whole new tangent of panic. _God, it's hot out here. I highly doubt these people are holding him in an air-conditioned location. I just hope they're giving him water, or he could get dangerously dehydrated in this weather. They'd have to, right? It's a human rights issue. Then again, the last thing he needs is to get violently ill in captivity from a parasite or something funky in the tap water here. It has to be bottled – they're underground dissidents, they're out in the jungle doing guerrilla crap, they have to have bottled water. It would be irresponsible not to… to be well-hydrated…while committing subversive acts…_

_So let me see: so far Evan is inches from being comatose with a massive bleeding head injury even worse than before, he's becoming dehydrated and getting heatstroke and by the end of the day he will have dysentery, malaria, typhoid, and/or hepatitis. And maybe a tapeworm. Crap, is Evan up to date with all his shots? Okay, okay, calm the heck down, _Hank reprimands himself. Evan has a natural tendency to come through his troubles remarkably unscathed. Hank almost smiles as he projects them both into the future: sitting by the pool, having drinks, flirting with some lovely ladies, and Evan has a story to impress with. _"Hey Hank, remember when Cuba kept trying to kill me?" _Evan would be just fine. He has charmed his way out of bad situations before. Why should this be any different? For all Hank knows, at that very moment he is probably having an in-depth discussion with his captors of the finer points of Cuban cigars and selling them HankMed crap.

Or else he was dead.

Hank figures he has about a 50/50 chance on this.

_Oh Evan, for the love of God, do __**not**__ provoke these people, _Hank prays silently, trying to send out a telepathic vibe to his brother somewhere on the spiritual plane._ Don't give them a reason to hurt you. If they send me one of your fingers because you were being annoying, I am not reattaching it because you won't learn anything if I do. I mean it, _he adds as an extra mental warning, knowing full well he will quickly and gladly reattach anything that happens to get severed from his kid brother during this ordeal. _I'll get you back somehow, I swear it, just please stay alive until then. Do not die on me. Do not make me have to go home without you and tell our father that I lost you in effing __**Cuba**__. I swear I will kill you if you make me do that. You will be double dead and fingerless, understand? _

He waits for some sign, some psychic signal that his brother has heard him wherever he may be, that the fraternal mindlink is in full effect. There is nothing but a slight rustle of the leaves as a brilliantly colored bird takes off from his perch in the trees. It is like Evan literally does not exist anymore. He has been swallowed up by this country. Looking around the rainforest near Boris's hacienda, it appears like a paradise, a veritable Garden of Eden. But the beauty of it is lost to him now. He doesn't like it here anymore, and if he loses his brother here, this paradise will become a very real and living hell.


End file.
